Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of ‘Interview with the Vampire’.
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The long awaited and anticipated series adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire has finally arrived. This AMC show holds a lot of promise from just the first episode. The first episode does a great job of setting up the world for both old and new fans. Getting reacquainted with the characters or rather reintroduced. There have been some changes that add more to the story in a way that I didn’t realize it was lacking. Louis’ character, for instance, has the most significant and welcomed change. Louis now offers a different, welcome, perspective and a great commentary on past and present racial issues. Louis thrives in 1910 New Orleans, still having to face mass racism. The show walks a fine line on the level of realism it’s willing to show.

Louis built a very nice life for his family. Living on a former sugar cane plantation, he’s able to take funds from his father’s failing farm and turn that into a thriving enterprise with 8 brothels under his belt. His brother, Paul, doesn’t approve. A devout Catholic and clearly not neurotypical, Paul is the closest to Louis. While Louis isn’t tolerant or understanding about his brother, he still does his best. He indulges Paul, takes him to their local Church that Paul loves so much.
 
Paul’s character is probably the most accurately represented with how people who were not neurotypical were treated years ago. Their sister Grace would much rather put Paul in a home. Let’s be honest, those places didn’t have the best reputation. Historically, people with disabilities or mental health concerns often died in these homes from neglect, murder, and suicide. They were not a pleasant experience to say the least.

The relationship between Paul and Louis seems to put a strain on the relationship between Louis and his mother. Louis is quick to fight with Paul, as much as he loves him, he doesn’t have the patience most of the time. Louis, while thriving, is struggling to keep afloat. After all, he’s a rich Black man trying to fit in with people who clearly don’t respect him, trying to keep his place at their table. This all creates the perfect storm for Lestat to swoop in.

The relationship between Louis and Lestat has often been idolized. Seen as romantic and the pinnacle of a gay relationship. The reality is that they are no different than the Joker and Harley. Lestat hunts Louis down. Worms his way into the man’s life, and becomes an integral part of Louis life, a friend in a sea of enemies. Lestat is grooming Louis. He’s going out of his way to play on every weak and insecure spot Louis has. It’s an abusive, toxic, relationship in the making. Lestat waits until Louis is at his lowest. Paul’s suicide is more than a shock, but having his mother blame him has Louis struggling. Lestat even interrupts the funeral.

It’s the final straw, one that breaks Louis down emotionally, to the point where he can’t take it anymore. In Confession, in the midst of his breakdown, Lastat shows up, murders the priests in the church, and then turns Louis. Kills the man that Louis was and makes him into a monster just like him. Of course, these are past events. Louis is alive and well and telling the reporter all this in 2022. Louis is as much a victim as he is a villain.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 1117 of ‘The Walking Dead’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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When we last settled in to discuss the iconic AMC series, The Walking Dead, we talked at length about the shocking course that ‘Acts of God’ took from a storytelling perspective. Simply because, that episode featured one of those rare moments where our heroes… lost. Because the people of Alexandria, Hilltop and The Kingdom, have always found a way to win regardless of the odds. But having their homes in disrepair and being faced with an Army that outnumbers and outguns them and harbors a ridiculous number of resources… put them in a tough spot. Wherein they could do nothing more than sit back and watch as the Commonwealth took over and hung their banner over the places they bled to keep going and well, that definitely left all of us wondering.
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Such as what the final eight episodes of this series might look like for our heroes now that their homes were under a new flag and now that they’d angered the one leader that is able to pull the trigger on burning it all down, by exposing the awful nature she and her family harbors and well… last night’s brand new episode of the show revealed… that for now at least, more trouble and heartache and worry awaited them. For when we catch up with Daryl Dixon’s merry band of fugitives in ‘Lockdown’, they were on the run and hunted by Lance Hornsby and his boys and well… that fight was not going well. For the Commonwealth had cars and other benefits our heroes do not, leaving them in a difficult place and they weren’t the only ones dealing with trouble.

For back within the walls of the Commonwealth, there was unrest in this replica of America. For the people were taking to the streets over the exposé on the Milton family, and they were demanding justice. Which of course left Pamela in a sour and angry place and the chaos within the city, allowed for shady things to take place. For Hornsby turned his lackeys loose on those who didn’t join Daryl and Maggie in the fight and that forced both Carol and Jerry to do everything and anything to keep the kids and one another safe. To the point where they were forced to scatter through the streets and make use of hidden safehouses to see another day and not disappear like so many had in this town, and that prompted Carol to ponder upon how the heck they were going to get out of this mess, and she wasn’t the only one thinking in that vein. 

Because out in the thick of it, Daryl also came to realize that Hornsby would likely use their families to get to them and that prompted him to come up with quite the idea. For Negan and his cavalry arrived, and since Hornsby had never met Negan and hadn’t a clue of what he was capable of… he could help out with the fight and find a way to sneak off in the process and return to the Commonwealth to help Carol and the others stay safe. Which led to some to stunning actions sequences for certain, the kind that made life difficult for Hornsby, since his forces were quickly left in disarray and thanks to some guerilla work while Negan was off to the Commonwealth, those left behind ensured that he had time to save the day and that the others would remain safe a little longer, and well… the plan worked when all is said and done.

Simply because, Negan made it, and was able to talk with Mercer and be granted quick access to the Commonwealth since he was here on behalf of the right people and once Negan was inside, he and Carol came up with a new plan to bring safety to the group. In that, if they found the now missing Sebastian, perhaps they could receive some favor from the Governor of the Commonwealth. But their mission to hunt him down, would be no easy task. For the city was also going into lockdown, courtesy of a massive herd at the outskirts of this little fiefdom in fact, the herd was so concerning… that Rosita was sent out into the world to fight and watched several good soldiers lose their lives in a gory and splattery fashion since this was a fierce fight with the dead.

But since Carol and Negan know how to get things done and stop at nothing to get what they need and want; they were able to figure out that Sebastian was hiding in a safe room. And while it took a little while to find that safe room and get Sebastian to leave it since… he was still being a little brat about anything and everything… they eventually got him free and of course, battled through the ire of the community to bring him to his dear mother. Who appeared grateful and joyous to have the new arrivals help her at last. But that’s really as far as we got with that portion of the story. Since the episode cut back to Daryl’s group and their fight and how… they were stuck in a stalemate with their new mortal enemy.

Once again leaving us hanging and wondering if by chance, Carol and Negan’s plan came too late. But while we wait to see what comes of these twists, we can celebrate, one wild and intense tale. Because this one was just high octane through and through, from beginning to end. Something we haven’t seen the show go full bore into for a while, but it was welcome, and it worked. Because tension was everywhere here and it kept us glued to our seats, likely due to the fact that we’re in the midst of the final eight episodes now. Where anything can happen and where anything goes, including character deaths and departures. But thankfully, there was none of that here, yet, but this episode did make it clear what we can expect from the next seven weeks as we barrel toward the series finale. 

In that, Angela Kang and her writers’ room are letting loose. They’re bringing forth a ‘Best of’, since nonstop tension was a celebrated staple in Seasons Five and Six, and it would also seem they’re going to let Greg Nicotero and his team at KNB, go harder with the gore… because why not? It’s the end of line, so why not test the red waters here? And if those horrible deaths are any indicator, Greg might go full Day of the Dead (1985) with his work here and just bring forth a signature gore-fest that will be studied for ages on end. But above all, this is an episode that plunged us back into this world one more time and let us know the stakes are higher than ever. For the future of humanity has to be on the line here, since this might be mankind’s last chance to really impact change or let the old guard destroy that second chance. And it will be fascinating to see if good can indeed win over the evils of the past and see if this series can finally answer the fundamental question it has asked for years now… is mankind worth saving? Until next time.

Over the course of the first six years of its illustrious eleven season run, the heroes of the AMC series, The Walking Dead, always beat the odds and/or won the day. For they escaped great harm at the Centers for Disease Control when Dr. Jenner informed them of the facility’s fate, and they of course, escaped the horrors of a herd at the Farm. They beat the Governor, twice, despite some ugly losses… and they also defeated the Terminus cannibals… twice. And even when they were at their lowest and suffering, they still found a way to soldier on and reach safety and still win the day over the terrifying Wolves and they even conquered a massive herd. But eventually, luck runs out and heroes lose and suffer greatly and that finally came to fruition in the season six finale of this series.
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For ‘Last Day on Earth’ is a story that finally saw Rick Grimes and his extended family, meet their match in every way imaginable, which led to a horrifying cliffhanger that would eventually lead to some epic changes for the series. But before we dive into that… it would be best to talk about the lone win in this tale. For Morgan eventually caught up with Carol and patched her up just fine. In the hopes of bringing her home, but that simply wasn’t meant to be. For she truly believed she was helpless and worthless and needed to be on her own, and that brought her face to face with that angry Savior, who harmed her greatly before Morgan intervened and broke his cardinal rule in doing so. Allowing for Carol to live… and receive medical treatment, thanks to an introduction to new friends. The kind whose community would be explored in detail in season seven. 

But while Carol and Morgan were in safe hands, Rick and his camp were dealing with quite the problem. for several of them were on the road to get Maggie to Hilltop in a safe manner, but they kept running into the Saviors…. quite literally at every turn. For the main roads to Hilltop, were blocked with a flotilla of Saviors, enough to outnumber the good people in that RV almost three to one at a few points. Which of course, prompted this group to keep moving and keep trying new paths to avoid any further roadblocks… to no avail. For the Saviors knew every single route there, and they were also eager to taunt and terrify Rick and his family. Since the group discovered trinkets and bits of hair from people they love on their journey, courtesy of the fact that the Saviors attached them to the walking dead at one stop on their route and well… seeing this much effort go into blocking the roads, prompted a different plan.

One where Eugene would fool them by taking the RV out alone while everyone else moved Maggie to Hilltop on foot and well, the Saviors planned for that as well, and rounded everyone up to a clearing of their choice, so that a huge moment from the comics could come to life. For once the group was assembled, with Daryl’s camp no less… they finally came face to face with something to fear… Negan. Yes, this was the moment that this enigmatic and charismatic and twisted villain entered the show at last and thanks to Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s powerhouse performance, he was everything we hoped for and feared and more. And the power and gravitas Negan brought forth in this moment, made it clear… our heroes lost for the first time ever. For they were outgunned and outwitted and out of options and they were going to suffer badly, as evidenced by the cliffhanger that took place here.

Which of course, shocked fans and angered them since it would be months before we learned the truth of who Negan brought harm to via Lucille. But what mattered more here, was that our heroes’ luck had run out and they finally met their match in the Saviors and that would change the tone of this series forever. For now, it was a different kind of horror story, one where the living became the true threat and that in turn would allow for the show to question if we were a species worth saving, a question it is still exploring in its final season and well… that’s it, fellow nerds that geek. That’s all there is to say about the classic episodes of this show that needed a second look from us, and we certainly hoped you enjoyed this rewatch as much as we did and hopefully, you’re now ready to begin the farewell tour. For only eight episodes of The Walking Dead remain, and it will be a powerful and visceral experience to say goodbye to a show that means so much to us and did so much for horror and pop culture and brought us so many powerful moments… such as the ones we discussed right here. Until next time.